SAL/ON

A Blog of Seattle Arts & Lectures

“Standstill / Stand Still” by Kiana Gladney

At the peak of my anxiety, consumed by emotion, overwhelmed by intrusive thoughts, I’m at a standstill. I don’t know when my home got bigger or I when I simply shrunk, but my house is far too big for me, and lately I feel so small. At a standstill of uncertainty, I’ve found that lately […]

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“a recipe for steaming almost-dragon” by Diane Sun

every few centuries, when the carp gathered at the base of the 龙门 lóngmén in thunderclouds, riled with legend and youth, we waded into the brinks of the waterfall and waited. that night we would feast upon 清蒸龙 qīngzhēng lóng. 1. check for freshness its scales should be taut – a bowstring still drawn long […]

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An Intimate Provocation: Jenny Xie’s “The Rupture Tense”

This essay is part of a series in which Seattle Arts & Lectures partners with Poetry Northwest to present reflections on visiting writers from the SAL Poetry Series. On Tuesday, January 17, Jenny Xie will read and discuss her work in conversation with Jane Wong at Rainier Arts Center, at 7:30 pm (PT). Tickets to this in-person and […]

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The Best Books of 2022 (According to the SAL Staff)

In this holiday edition of SAL Staff Reads, we asked nine of our staff the most difficult and pressing question of them all: what’s the best book you read in 2022? If you’re looking for which to books to cozy up with this winter, look no further than this list!  Rebecca Hoogs, Executive Director The […]

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An Illustration From Patti Smith’s Event

If you’ve been following us for a while, you may know Tessa Hulls, the “SAL Official Doodler” and author of the forthcoming graphic novel Feeding Ghosts (MCD Books, 2023). We were so lucky that Tessa attended Patti Smith’s SAL Presents event on December 2, 2022, and captured the evening in doodle form! Take a peek at some […]

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“Cubism” by Zinnia Hansen

“With your pictures you apparently want to arouse in us a feeling of having to swallow rope or drink kerosene.” – Braque to Picasso Maybe it’s as simple as this: Maybe God’s hundredth name is His face. I try to paint it on the moon, but I can’t reach far enough to fill His craterous, […]

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“Don’t Worry, Ma” by Kyle Gerstel

He sits at the desk beside Teacher, scribbling words on the back of the coloring sheet while the rest of the class enjoys the playground and each other. His mom asks her maternal comrades what to do, if he’s okay, but he knows better. “Don’t worry, ma,” he says. “This is what I have to […]

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Faces of SAL: Karen Maeda Allman

Welcome to the SAL board, Karen Maeda Allman! You probably already know Karen from her work as the Author Events Coordinator and bookseller at Elliott Bay Book Company, where she worked for over thirty-three years. Karen is now an Assistant Agent at Wales Literary Agency, and she has also worked as a nurse and a […]

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“Pesto” & “Toast and Other Things” by Bayla Cohen-Knott

Pesto She dances Whirs and grinds and her arms rise To ragged rocks of sea salt Where she sleeps She puckers up for a kiss Feels lemon when there is bitterness Goes dark when left alone A moldy solitude She duets with the plush Heel toe tapping Kitten heels staunch in their desire to step […]

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“Ideas in the Clouds” by WITS Student Flavia Sethy

Ideas in the Clouds Take me home ………what is that can we start ……….do we ever Why do you fly, not walk ……….Why do you walk, not fly Who are you ……….Who are you Why is the sky beautiful ……….is anything Give me an answer ……….are there answers Are we there yet ……….are we ever […]

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